Second week after Christmas
THE REASON OF PRAISE
EPHESIANS 1:3-14
Three times praise
Today’s contents are a little too lengthy because the familiar words are repeated. Praise, spiritual blessing, holy and blameless, grace, sin, forgiveness, God’s plan, hope, gospel, the Holy Spirit, promise, inheritance, God's possession etc. It will take quite a long time to meditate even these words only. So most of people feel uncomfortable for such words for it is difficult to approach. Of course some are happily accepting it without any deep consideration but most of believers skip it by thinking, “It also a sort of good words.” Compare to these contents, Jesus’ parable, the story of healing disease or the dramatic stories in Acts are easy to access and interesting too.
Why such difference is occurred though all are the word of God? It is because the contents we read today contain much more theological fact than the contents we are interesting. Like the Apostle Creed, these words have been formed through the long process of theological discussion in Early Christian community. When we read this sort of text containing strong theological character, it is hard for us to enter into the text and do not get along. In this reason, when we read such theological contents we need much more concentrated observation. The observation begins with analyzing the structure of the contents.
As you might be hinted when we read the contents, it is consisting of three parts, verses 3-6, verses 7-12 and verses 13-14. Compare to other contents, these structures of text are particular for each paragraph concludes with a sentence, “to the praise of his glory”. Verse 6, the last verse of first paragraph, “to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Verse 12, the last verse of the second paragraph, “…in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” Look at verse 14. “…who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.”
We can see the statement of ‘the praise of God’s glory’ in every corner of the Bible. Psalm is the book fully devoted to ‘the praise of God’s glory’. Pentateuch and the prophets also have many of such contents with keeping the accurate form of praise. What is praise that the Bible says? Everybody knows the meaning of praise. Praise is our attitude to raise up and applause to a certain object. The word to praise to God means to raise up or applause to his activity and himself. It is not going too far to say that the essence of Christianity lies in such praise. So there are many hymnals in worship service. Feeling something lack in such extent of praise in worship service and nowadays some gives almost praise-centered worship service. It is tentatively good phenomena at the meaning of burning desire to praise God.
However, we have to understand a little more about the foundation of praise. While I was young we used to have a preparation praise hour before a main worship service. We sang a hymnals two or three before Sunday Worship service. When we had a revival service we sang a hymn more than an hour repeatedly and fervently. At that time most of congregation might think it would be good to sing more. At the beginning stage we could think the meaning of hymn and feel God’s grace but when it went to repetition way then almost sang in unconsciousness. The more serious problem is that praising people lapse into self-emotion. Those who are captured by such self-emotion and self-pity can take a pose to praise anytime and anywhere despite there is no content to praise. It is just like a widow with painful regret in her life can cry loudly even at unknown funeral place. It is just like youngsters who are crazy for Sharuk Khan’s decorated image. However, we should not miss a point that Christianity’s praise is not people’s emotion and psychological phenomena but the point to concentrate on the Trinity God only. Our praise can be only a real when we keenly conceive what we have to praise at each moment of our praise.
Christological praise
The praise of the Bible is not self-pity or passion of people but have clear contents. Praise was done only for the contents of God’s creation, Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. The three praises in today’s content also have such contents. It shows Christological structure as a whole but there are a little difference in detail point of view.
The fist content of praise is that God chose us in him before the creation of the world. (4) God predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ. (5) How much do you clearly realize and believe that fact that Early Christian community couldn’t but conceive, believe and praise. Some may say “I believe it unconditionally” or the other may say “I cannot but believe though I am not sure” or some may think they don’t know.
The second of content of praise is that God made known to us the mystery of his will. (8, 9) His choice and predestination through Jesus Christ, recognizing his will itself is rightly the content of praise. Early Christian didn’t think that their cognitive activity also was their own independent ability. Some may look down such attitude as a religious fanaticism but it is basically not. Those who understand our poor and limited cognitive power and recognize the fact that a certain powers are involved in our cognitive activity may seriously accept the confession of the Early Christian community. It is a similar that the composers are thinking they do not compose but sound itself, and that the great artists are thinking that they do not draw but drawn by other power.
The third content of praise is that God has given us the Holy Spirit as a mark of being his people. (13) It is not simple to explain about the Holy Spirit in today’s content. Acts regards the Holy Spirit as ‘tongue’ or ‘world mission’ and John’s gospel indicates it as the religious confession itself for Jesus’ Christ. Broadly speaking, the Holy Spirit is the spirit to call the life into this world and is maintaining and will complete the life. Early Christian community was vividly aware of a certain mysterious power which was leading them. Though the Spirit was expressed in different way such as tongue, healing, Gentile mission and fellowship in church but finally it means to be captured by the power of Holy life.
The above contents of praise divided into three finally concentrate on ‘Jesus Christ’. God’s choice is done through Jesus Christ; our awareness also occurred and will be occurred through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has given to us also the mark of being God’s people through Jesus Christ.
Some of you may think, “So what? Is it nothing but a tuff Christianity dogma that is hard for us to follow?” Of course such teaching is a dogma. However, it is not a mere one-sided dogma but contains a certain life and its world. Believing such dogma blindly is problem and thinking I don’t have any relationship with such dogma is a bigger problem. What on earth, what does Ephesian want to tell us through such dogmatic content? Was it only the three to praise? Are we nothing but hearing once again the repeated dogma? So do we need other dramatic story or joke in order to protect dryness of our belief? Such things can refresh our faith life like a seasoning improves the taste of food. However, the food is depended on not a seasoning but materiel and the cook’s ability. Now we are reached at the step to enter into the core of this message. What is the core message of today’s content to have three reasons of praise?
The glory of God
We have confirmed the three reasons to praise from the above. However, the core that the three reasons would like to say fundamentally was in much more essential matter, which is ‘the glory of God’. Verses 12 and 14 evenly express “the praise of his glory”. Verse 6 expresses, “to the praise of his glorious grace”. It means God’s choice, our awareness for God’s choice and dwelling of the Holy Spirit all together reveal ‘the glory of God’.
Martyn Luther interpreted ‘glory’ as ‘sovereignty’. The fact God has chosen us is God’s free will, nothing related our will. It means the grace to be children of God through Jesus Christ are just the matter of God only. The facts we have known to Jesus and believed in him also depend on God’s freedom. Especially look at verse 11, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” This verse rightly contains the meaning of glory of God. The reason to be what God is God is that he fulfills everything according to his free will by what he wants.
Do you understand the word in the Ephesian that we have to praise God because his will and choice is completely ruling us? And do you agree with this? When we look back our life sometimes our intention has fulfilled or sometimes hasn’t, but if we think a little bit deeply about this then we cannot but accept the fact that everything have happened to us are beyond our intention. As we have confirmed from the earthquake in China in May last year, we are handled by an uncontrollable certain incident and powers in decisive matter. Whenever we meet such incident we are perplexed and complain to God. However we should say that it also is the will of God. The plate movement of earth that caused the earthquake in China is right evidence of earth’s vivid activity. If there is no such plate movement the earth may not maintain its life. Probably long time later the decedents of human kind may analyze that the life movement in earth have much activated due to such earthquake. The earth and air that has spoiled by human kind can be completely changed through such plate movement. In this point, the confession of early Christian community to praise to glory of God ultimately affirm this world, the entire universe and all the living creatures in the world including human being and animals. Though it seems a great trials and futility, eventually it is connected to the salvation of the world through God.
At this very paragraph we often face a risky that makes us to be fallen into fatalism. To praise to the glory of God, if the worst happens, can paralyze all our independent thought and activity that is responsible for us. It can be confirmed that many Christians try to escape from history saying, “This is God’s will.”
However, the confession ‘to praise to the glory of God’ never says pessimistic fatalism but the attitude of life that absolutely affirms everything that happens in our life including even darkened part. Those who look at this world at the light of Christ are neither fatalistic nor fearful nor gloomy nor closed mind. Praising heart already is arisen in his heart. It is because he has found the glory of God in his life and this world. Is such glory of God imbuing in your life? Do you recognize such fact? So you want to praise to the Lord every day? I am really hoping that the year of 2009 may become such year to you.
THE REASON OF PRAISE
EPHESIANS 1:3-14
Three times praise
Today’s contents are a little too lengthy because the familiar words are repeated. Praise, spiritual blessing, holy and blameless, grace, sin, forgiveness, God’s plan, hope, gospel, the Holy Spirit, promise, inheritance, God's possession etc. It will take quite a long time to meditate even these words only. So most of people feel uncomfortable for such words for it is difficult to approach. Of course some are happily accepting it without any deep consideration but most of believers skip it by thinking, “It also a sort of good words.” Compare to these contents, Jesus’ parable, the story of healing disease or the dramatic stories in Acts are easy to access and interesting too.
Why such difference is occurred though all are the word of God? It is because the contents we read today contain much more theological fact than the contents we are interesting. Like the Apostle Creed, these words have been formed through the long process of theological discussion in Early Christian community. When we read this sort of text containing strong theological character, it is hard for us to enter into the text and do not get along. In this reason, when we read such theological contents we need much more concentrated observation. The observation begins with analyzing the structure of the contents.
As you might be hinted when we read the contents, it is consisting of three parts, verses 3-6, verses 7-12 and verses 13-14. Compare to other contents, these structures of text are particular for each paragraph concludes with a sentence, “to the praise of his glory”. Verse 6, the last verse of first paragraph, “to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Verse 12, the last verse of the second paragraph, “…in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” Look at verse 14. “…who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.”
We can see the statement of ‘the praise of God’s glory’ in every corner of the Bible. Psalm is the book fully devoted to ‘the praise of God’s glory’. Pentateuch and the prophets also have many of such contents with keeping the accurate form of praise. What is praise that the Bible says? Everybody knows the meaning of praise. Praise is our attitude to raise up and applause to a certain object. The word to praise to God means to raise up or applause to his activity and himself. It is not going too far to say that the essence of Christianity lies in such praise. So there are many hymnals in worship service. Feeling something lack in such extent of praise in worship service and nowadays some gives almost praise-centered worship service. It is tentatively good phenomena at the meaning of burning desire to praise God.
However, we have to understand a little more about the foundation of praise. While I was young we used to have a preparation praise hour before a main worship service. We sang a hymnals two or three before Sunday Worship service. When we had a revival service we sang a hymn more than an hour repeatedly and fervently. At that time most of congregation might think it would be good to sing more. At the beginning stage we could think the meaning of hymn and feel God’s grace but when it went to repetition way then almost sang in unconsciousness. The more serious problem is that praising people lapse into self-emotion. Those who are captured by such self-emotion and self-pity can take a pose to praise anytime and anywhere despite there is no content to praise. It is just like a widow with painful regret in her life can cry loudly even at unknown funeral place. It is just like youngsters who are crazy for Sharuk Khan’s decorated image. However, we should not miss a point that Christianity’s praise is not people’s emotion and psychological phenomena but the point to concentrate on the Trinity God only. Our praise can be only a real when we keenly conceive what we have to praise at each moment of our praise.
Christological praise
The praise of the Bible is not self-pity or passion of people but have clear contents. Praise was done only for the contents of God’s creation, Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. The three praises in today’s content also have such contents. It shows Christological structure as a whole but there are a little difference in detail point of view.
The fist content of praise is that God chose us in him before the creation of the world. (4) God predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ. (5) How much do you clearly realize and believe that fact that Early Christian community couldn’t but conceive, believe and praise. Some may say “I believe it unconditionally” or the other may say “I cannot but believe though I am not sure” or some may think they don’t know.
The second of content of praise is that God made known to us the mystery of his will. (8, 9) His choice and predestination through Jesus Christ, recognizing his will itself is rightly the content of praise. Early Christian didn’t think that their cognitive activity also was their own independent ability. Some may look down such attitude as a religious fanaticism but it is basically not. Those who understand our poor and limited cognitive power and recognize the fact that a certain powers are involved in our cognitive activity may seriously accept the confession of the Early Christian community. It is a similar that the composers are thinking they do not compose but sound itself, and that the great artists are thinking that they do not draw but drawn by other power.
The third content of praise is that God has given us the Holy Spirit as a mark of being his people. (13) It is not simple to explain about the Holy Spirit in today’s content. Acts regards the Holy Spirit as ‘tongue’ or ‘world mission’ and John’s gospel indicates it as the religious confession itself for Jesus’ Christ. Broadly speaking, the Holy Spirit is the spirit to call the life into this world and is maintaining and will complete the life. Early Christian community was vividly aware of a certain mysterious power which was leading them. Though the Spirit was expressed in different way such as tongue, healing, Gentile mission and fellowship in church but finally it means to be captured by the power of Holy life.
The above contents of praise divided into three finally concentrate on ‘Jesus Christ’. God’s choice is done through Jesus Christ; our awareness also occurred and will be occurred through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has given to us also the mark of being God’s people through Jesus Christ.
Some of you may think, “So what? Is it nothing but a tuff Christianity dogma that is hard for us to follow?” Of course such teaching is a dogma. However, it is not a mere one-sided dogma but contains a certain life and its world. Believing such dogma blindly is problem and thinking I don’t have any relationship with such dogma is a bigger problem. What on earth, what does Ephesian want to tell us through such dogmatic content? Was it only the three to praise? Are we nothing but hearing once again the repeated dogma? So do we need other dramatic story or joke in order to protect dryness of our belief? Such things can refresh our faith life like a seasoning improves the taste of food. However, the food is depended on not a seasoning but materiel and the cook’s ability. Now we are reached at the step to enter into the core of this message. What is the core message of today’s content to have three reasons of praise?
The glory of God
We have confirmed the three reasons to praise from the above. However, the core that the three reasons would like to say fundamentally was in much more essential matter, which is ‘the glory of God’. Verses 12 and 14 evenly express “the praise of his glory”. Verse 6 expresses, “to the praise of his glorious grace”. It means God’s choice, our awareness for God’s choice and dwelling of the Holy Spirit all together reveal ‘the glory of God’.
Martyn Luther interpreted ‘glory’ as ‘sovereignty’. The fact God has chosen us is God’s free will, nothing related our will. It means the grace to be children of God through Jesus Christ are just the matter of God only. The facts we have known to Jesus and believed in him also depend on God’s freedom. Especially look at verse 11, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” This verse rightly contains the meaning of glory of God. The reason to be what God is God is that he fulfills everything according to his free will by what he wants.
Do you understand the word in the Ephesian that we have to praise God because his will and choice is completely ruling us? And do you agree with this? When we look back our life sometimes our intention has fulfilled or sometimes hasn’t, but if we think a little bit deeply about this then we cannot but accept the fact that everything have happened to us are beyond our intention. As we have confirmed from the earthquake in China in May last year, we are handled by an uncontrollable certain incident and powers in decisive matter. Whenever we meet such incident we are perplexed and complain to God. However we should say that it also is the will of God. The plate movement of earth that caused the earthquake in China is right evidence of earth’s vivid activity. If there is no such plate movement the earth may not maintain its life. Probably long time later the decedents of human kind may analyze that the life movement in earth have much activated due to such earthquake. The earth and air that has spoiled by human kind can be completely changed through such plate movement. In this point, the confession of early Christian community to praise to glory of God ultimately affirm this world, the entire universe and all the living creatures in the world including human being and animals. Though it seems a great trials and futility, eventually it is connected to the salvation of the world through God.
At this very paragraph we often face a risky that makes us to be fallen into fatalism. To praise to the glory of God, if the worst happens, can paralyze all our independent thought and activity that is responsible for us. It can be confirmed that many Christians try to escape from history saying, “This is God’s will.”
However, the confession ‘to praise to the glory of God’ never says pessimistic fatalism but the attitude of life that absolutely affirms everything that happens in our life including even darkened part. Those who look at this world at the light of Christ are neither fatalistic nor fearful nor gloomy nor closed mind. Praising heart already is arisen in his heart. It is because he has found the glory of God in his life and this world. Is such glory of God imbuing in your life? Do you recognize such fact? So you want to praise to the Lord every day? I am really hoping that the year of 2009 may become such year to you.
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